One of Seven
by Partners-N-Crime
Summary: Every Friday is accompanied with the same routine and Stan can't help but dread the day it all changes. Style fluff with Candy hints.


It was Friday and as far as Stan was concerned, school couldn't end soon enough. Friday nights meant time he got to spend with Kyle, whether it was at his own house or Kyle's. Where they stayed didn't matter to Stan, so long as he was with the other. Stan cursed under his breath and resisted the urge to smack his head on his desk for thinking such a gay thought. He'd come to terms with the feelings he felt for Kyle years ago, the feelings that far surpassed friendship. Still, he thought bitterly, that didn't mean he had to get so sappy in his mind.

He found his eyes wandering in Kyle's direction, the ginger only being a few seats away. He was diligently taking notes, which came to Stan as no surprise. Ever since Ike was a proclaimed genius, Sheila started to push Kyle to do better in his studies. Stan propped his head up on his hand, his eyes still focused on the other who was paying him no mind. Kyle was smart; there was no doubt about that. He just didn't apply himself as much as he could. Ever since his mom started pressuring him, especially since they started high school, Stan noticed Kyle had become a little more focused on his studies. Stan found it cute the way he had reading glasses pushed up on the bridge of his nose as his eyes gazed lazily through them, probably wishing the same thing Stan was: for this school day to just end. He was unsure if the other felt the same excitement he felt every Friday. For Stan, it was knowing he was going to have Kyle practically all to himself, with minimal interruptions. At school, Cartman had the worst timing possible and always found a way to get under both boys' skin. School was a living hell for Stan anyway, and Cartman made it worse. Friday nights were like a heaven, a perfect way to end a hectic day. The promise of spending time with Kyle was the only thing that kept him sane throughout the remainder of the school day.

The school day dragged on to the point of it becoming unbearable. When the final bell finally rang, releasing them for a whole two days, Stan couldn't have jumped out of his seat fast enough. He exited the room before anybody else even had a chance to, his pace only quickening once he was out the door. His destination was his locker, where he knew a certain person would be waiting for him, leaned against it impatiently while he tapped his foot. Stan rounded the hall corner, his locker located in this final stretch. His eyes scanned the busy hallway, in search of one person alone. He was so engrossed in looking for Kyle he nearly ran Craig over, who flipped him off in response. Stan didn't notice, nor care because he finally spotted the person he was looking for. He was where he always was, just as Stan had described earlier. The nervous feeling that had formed a knot in his stomach seemed to disappear; it was a fear of his that Kyle wouldn't be there someday. Stan shook his head lightly, willing the thought away. What mattered was that he was here now. The ginger was fixated on shoving a few stray curls of his hair up under his hat so they were no longer visible. Stan couldn't help but smile as he drew nearer; Kyle was such a girl when it came to his hair. Stan honestly didn't see what was so bad about it, sure it was a bit unruly and different, but Stan felt it had a charm to it that could only be described as Kyle.

He resisted the urge to slam his head in his locker for sounding so gay again.

"Took you long enough," Kyle's voice broke through his thoughts. Stan opened his locker, the smile from before still on his lips.

"Sorry, you know my last class is all the way on the other side of the building. I try my hardest."

"Whatever," Kyle laughed, readjusting his hat on his head. "I'm so glad it's Friday and I get to crash at your place. I'm not sure how much more of this place I can take." Kyle made a face that illustrated his disgust for their high school, but Stan thought the face he made was cute. His cheeks started heating up, so he turned back to his locker, shoving a few books in his bag before slamming it shut.

"Are you finally ready?" Kyle teased, stepping ahead of Stan. Stan nodded and hefted his backpack over his right shoulder and walked out of the school with Kyle by his side.

Stan didn't have to lead Kyle to where he parked his car, since Kyle already knew. Ever since Stan got his license, he offered to take Kyle to and from school. Kyle declined the offer and continued to ride the bus, unwilling to spend money on gas for his car. It was only on Fridays like this that Stan was granted the privilege to drive with Kyle. Stan's car was less than impressive, a junker, but it handled fine and moved at least. When he first got it, he was disappointed by how shitty it looked. Kyle had been by his side and put a comforting arm around his shoulder as they stared at it.

"At least it's not like the car from the Flintstones," Kyle had joked, lightening the mood. "If it was, I'd help you move it." Ever since that moment that continued to be how Stan viewed the car. He unlocked the passenger door for Kyle and made his way over to the driver's side when a voice calling his name caused him to stop.

"Stan!"

He whirled around in time to see Wendy running towards him, waving her hands like a maniac. It had been over a year since he and Wendy had last dated. The last time they had broken up was over something Stan had said or done, he couldn't be bothered to remember. He had stopped caring about her in that sense, a long time ago; those feelings transferred to someone else.

She nearly collapsed once she made it to Stan. She was doubled over, trying to catch her breath after running for quite some time.

"I'm glad...I caught you..." Wendy breathed in and out, struggling to speak. Though they were broken up, they had remained good friends. Stan was thankful for that. Wendy stood back up to full height, her composure regained. The sound of a car door slamming behind them caused Stan to jump, especially when he realized it had been his passenger door. He peeked in the car to see Kyle sitting down already, an impatient look, similar to a pout, on his face.

"It'll only take a minute, I promise. It's important." Wendy insisted. Stan sighed, not really wanting to go with her. Time with Kyle was wasting.

"Alright, hurry up."

Wendy grabbed his sleeve, tugging him away from his car and further into the parking lot that was slowly becoming more crowded as people filed out of school.

"What is it Wendy?" Stan asked, trying to sound patient. Wendy glanced around, as if unsure if she should be telling him or not.

"It's about Kyle."

Stan's interest was perked, as was his concern. What about Kyle? The distress must have shown on his face because Wendy quickly interjected that nothing was wrong with him and assured him that everything in that aspect was okay. Stan bit back a sigh of relief.

"It's just, earlier in one of the classes we have together with Cartman,"

Stan rolled his eyes at the mention of that offensive fatass. He was thankful that he wasn't put in many classes with the asshole this year.

"Kyle had a notebook out on his desk and was doing something; none of us were sure what, because he was covering it up. Well, you know Cartman; he can't leave Kyle alone, and hates not knowing everything about everyone." Wendy scoffed, crossing her arms. "Anyway, long story short, Cartman stole Kyle's notebook and started to wave it around saying how you guys were fags. Kyle's face lit up and I honestly thought he was going to kill Cartman right then and there. I never saw what was in that notebook, but Cartman was telling me it was a lot like a diary, and that its main topic was you."

Stan was stunned, that even being an understatement. He found himself wanting to believe this was true, but at the same time he doubted it. Cartman had been insisting that Kyle and Stan were fags ever since he could remember. The fatass was also a huge liar and loved to exaggerate facts. Stan could feel his heart sink the more rationally he thought.

"Stan, I know how much you care about him...I can't even begin to remember how many times you ditched me for him," Though her tone was a bit harsh, her face showed that she really didn't mind...it was almost like she knew something that Stan didn't.

"He was pretty upset about it...Maybe you could talk to him?"

"He seemed fine to me." Stan murmured. Wendy shook her head and let out a sigh.

"Men, I swear. Stan, do you really not see the way he looks at you? The way he perks up every time you-" She cut herself off, covering her face with her hand in frustration. "Never mind, you'll see for yourself soon enough I guess. Just, please talk to him, for me. I've never seen him so pissed off before, Stan. And we all know how moody Kyle can be."

Stan weighed his options before finally giving in.

"Yeah sure, I'll ask him about it."

Wendy smiled and gave her thanks before running off.

"Cartman promised to give me a ride home. Knowing him though he's probably already left, that asshole. See you Stan!" Wendy waved over her shoulder as she darted between cars. Stan raised a hand as a wave and sighed. He had promised to talk to Kyle but...he had a feeling that he shouldn't. He drug his tired body back to his car, opened the driver's door and sat down with a huge sigh. He let his head fall back on his seat, feeling Kyle's gaze on him.

"You two talked for an awful long time." Kyle commented, his voice sounding dry. Stan nodded as his car roared to life.

"You know how she loves to talk."

Stan could see out of the corner of his eye that Kyle had nodded before turning to look out the window as the world passed them by.

Stan dropped his things by the door as soon as he walked inside. Kyle shook his head and carried his things up to Stan's room while Stan collapsed on the couch.

"Stan, is that you?" Randy called from the kitchen.

"Yeah dad."

Randy poked his head into the living room and looked around.

"Where's Kyle?"

Stan bit back a laugh, but couldn't hold back his smile. His parents just expected it nowadays. Stan pointed up, and Randy nodded. As if on cue, Kyle's footsteps could be heard as he made his way back downstairs.

"Hey Mr. Marsh," Kyle waved his hand as he collapsed next to Stan on the couch. Stan wondered if Kyle would ever start calling his parents by their names. He knew they were fine with it, but Kyle had always been polite to adults. Stan also felt like Sheila would lecture Kyle until his ears bled if she ever heard him being 'disrespectful'.

"Long day at school, huh?" Randy asked, making Stan wonder if he was ever going to go back into the kitchen. Both boys nodded and Randy smiled apologetically.

"Well you boys'll have the house to yourselves tonight. Your mother and I are going to go visit with Shelly at her college. We grabbed a hotel room up in Denver; I hope you guys don't mind."

Kyle shrugged and began to dig around the cushions of the couch in search of the remote. Stan found it shoved in between the cushions he was sitting next to; he took the remote and handed it to Kyle. News that his parents were going to be gone made him feel almost ecstatic, this light and giddy feeling rising shamelessly in his chest.

"You and Mom have fun. Tell Shelly I said hey." Stan kept his voice level despite the fact that he wanted to stand up and jump for joy. No parents meant absolutely no interruptions with his Kyle time. They weren't bad about butting in, but it really irked Stan when they'd be talking and Randy or Sharon burst in asking some dumb question. It used to be even worse; the time before Shelly went off to college. The way she felt the need to make Stan miserable stuck with her from childhood to adulthood.

"We'll be heading out after dinner, which we're working on fixing right now. I trust you boys'll take good care of the house."

"You can count on us." Kyle said with a smile as he found a TV channel he wanted to watch. Stan wished he would smile at him like that.

At dinner Stan couldn't think straight. His thoughts had wandered from Kyle back to what Wendy had said earlier. There was no way Kyle was writing about him, or thinking about him in the way Stan did. Cartman was a dirty liar and he hated him for fucking with his feelings. Only Cartman would be able to find a way to make a person miserable without even trying. He guessed it was one of the sick benefits to being Cartman. Stan felt his heart sink. In that sense, Kyle was the same way. Stan found it frustrating how he could care about a person so much, and yet they were also the source of his heartbreak. What was worse was Kyle had no idea. Stan wanted to be sick the more he thought about it, reminiscent of his childhood days. A sudden touch to his shoulder made him jump. It was Kyle's hand.

"Dude you okay?"

Stan held off his qualms as he forced a smile.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"If you get sick Stanley, you know where the medicine is." Sharon said from across the table. Stan tried not to grimace as he nodded.

"Don't worry, if he gets sick I can take care of him." Kyle grinned, making Stan wonder if it was a joke or not. Randy and Sharon both laughed.

"We don't doubt that Kyle." Randy said after taking a bite of his meal. Kyle was smiling again, and as Stan watched him, the more he hurt.

It had been a night full of video games and lame horror movies. It was getting to the point where Stan wasn't sure if the time was considered night or morning. Seated on the couch beside him was Kyle, who was fighting off a yawn.

"You tired?" Stan asked, knowing he was. Kyle nodded, lazily rubbing his eyes as the end credits to the movie they'd just watched rolled on the screen. Stan shut the TV off and stood up, stretching.

"Let's just go on to bed."

It had been the same since they were kids, and they both of them wondered when they would stop sharing the same bed at these so called "sleepovers". Once they were in middle school and things like that shouldn't have been alright for two guys to do, they started making excuses.

_"The floors too cold."_

_"I was here first you'll just have to find room."_

_"The bed's too comfy to give up even if I have to sleep next to you."_

The excuses went on and on. Once they hit high school, they almost stopped using excuses and just went with the norm. Stan never wanted it to end, and feared the time where it would. He couldn't share a bed with Kyle every Friday night for the rest of his life. Eventually Kyle will find someone and fall in love with them, and it would be their bed he'd be in not Stan's. The thought was enough to make Stan feel ill again as he collapsed on his bed, his face buried deep in his pillow. How many more Friday's would remain like this? What if one day Kyle decided it was too faggy and Stan would wake up to find him on the floor instead of curled up next to him. Stan groaned into his pillow, tired of these cynical thoughts that kept prodding at his mind.

"You sure you're okay? I wasn't lying when I said I could take care of you," The bed creaked as Kyle sat down on the other side of Stan's bed. Stan smiled into his pillow. They really were too big for this bed.

"I'm fine," He turned his head and made eye contact with Kyle, his green eyes bright. Stan swallowed the nervous feeling away best he could and turned his face away.

"You've been acting strange since you talked to Wendy earlier today..." Kyle murmured, almost so quiet it was inaudible. Stan sat up.

"Huh?"

Kyle had his back turned to Stan now as he sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the window, Stan thought.

"You've been all spaced out, and it's weird. ...You guys back together again or something...? I thought her and Cartman had a thing going..."

Stan, who had been in the middle of yawn, started coughing, causing Kyle to whirl around.

"You okay? Jesus man don't scare me like that!" Kyle said, his voice sounding anxious. Stan took a few breathers after the fit, hiding his face in his hands.

"Not even close dude, we're never going to date again as far as I'm concerned. She's nothing more than a friend, you know that," Stan glanced at Kyle through his fingers but the other had already turned back to the window.

"...You can tell me if you are, I know you like someone. Wendy was talking about it awhile back."

"She what?"

"She was telling Bebe that you had a crush on someone. I overheard and it kind of stung, since, I thought you would've told me. But, maybe that's stuff for girls to listen and gossip about, not us guys..."

Stan was thoroughly confused now. He hadn't told Wendy he liked anybody, for fear of it slipping out. Wendy was generally good with secrets, but he knew how she liked to gossip with her friends, especially with Bebe.

"I haven't told Wendy anything like that, she's probably just making shit up." Stan explained, hoping Kyle would believe him. He noticed the other had slumped his shoulders.

"Do you like anyone?"

Stan felt a knot rise in his throat. He tried to clear it but it sounded like a strange gargle. His hands flew over his mouth as he tried to not die of pure embarrassment. Kyle hadn't turned around, or moved for that matter.

"I-uh-I..." Stan stuttered, but before he could give an efficient answer Kyle cut him off.

"Dude it's okay. You don't have to tell me."

Stan was beginning to get frustrated, at both himself and Kyle. Why couldn't he just come out and say it? And why was Kyle so fucking oblivious? Like it wasn't fucking obvious.

"Yeah, I like someone." Stan finally said, sounding more confident than he felt. Kyle's body seemed to go rigid.

"...Really. Who?" He asked, hesitantly. Stan took a deep breath. He reached over and placed his arms loosely around Kyle's midriff. The other went completely tense as Stan rested his head on Kyle's shoulder. It felt so nice, this closeness.

"Dude what-"

"Shut up. I'm just showing you because saying it is too fucking hard and cheesy." He gritted his teeth and took a deep breath before saying in a strained tone, "I'm in fucking love with my best friend and have been for a long time."

Stan felt himself panic as realization sunk in. He'd just said it. There was no chance of going back now. The years and years of friendship could quite possibly go down the drain. He could hear his own heart beat threatening to ram its way out of his chest. Kyle hadn't moved or said a word, making Stan extremely uncomfortable. He started to pull away, already trying to cope with the rejection when Kyle's hands grabbed his own, keeping them in place.

"Am I asleep? And this just some kind of sick dream...?" Kyle's voice was meek but Stan could hear it loud and clear.

"Do you dream about me often?" Stan asked, trying to keep the mood light, a fragment of hope returning. Kyle laughed and let himself lean back so he was resting against Stan's chest.

"I might."

Stan wasn't sure he could contain his heart any longer. The way Kyle was looking up at him, the feeling of him on his chest, the fact that the other might actually have dreams about him. Stan's hands were still loose around Kyle's waist and he couldn't think of a better place for them.

"Cartman was right all along huh..." Kyle sounded a bit upset by the fact that Cartman had actually been right for once. Stan laughed.

"I think this is the first time I've ever been glad he's right."

Kyle laughed, the sound making Stan's heart want to fly. It was almost too perfect.

"Hey, Stan."

Stan looked down in time for Kyle to lean up and brush their lips together. It was quick, and they barely touched, yet Stan felt like he was on Cloud 9. His first kiss with Kyle, and it was like the kiss from Spiderman. Kyle sat back up, his back to Stan again.

"I can't believe I just did that." He turned and fell on his face into Stan's pillow. Stan laughed lying on top of Kyle, his breath tickling the back of Kyle's neck. He could feel the other tense underneath him again, which was cute.

"So this is really happening, right?" Stan asked, more to himself than to Kyle. He heard the other mutter something into the pillow. Stan wasn't sure what the other had said, but he took it as a confirmation. Stan's thoughts were overflowing, a happiness surging through him unlike one he had ever felt before. He was unable to control the smile on his face as he realized how much he had wanted this, and how hard it was going to be to stop touching Kyle when the time came. The room was silent for some time, as they both relished in the warmth. Stan let out a happy sigh, Kyle squirming slightly.

"I have a question..." Stan murmured as Kyle turned his head to the side so he could breathe properly again.

"Yeah?"

"When I was talking to Wendy, she said something about you writing, and-"

"Oh God." Kyle turned his face away again. Stan noticed that even his ears were red, so he must have been blushing pretty hard.

"Come on, tell me." He let his head rest on Kyle's tense shoulder. Kyle let out a frustrated groan that made Stan laugh. Kyle turned his head so he could glance at Stan as he talked. His cheeks were burning and Stan wasn't sure he could get much cuter.

"It was just...like a journal...that I write in for when I'm pissed or happy...Just a positive way of venting some feelings...and after awhile...I noticed that like...98% of it was about you and how happy you'd make me... then Cartman took it and I thought I was going to have to break a desk over his head..."

Stan was flattered to say in the least. More over, he was overjoyed to find that what Wendy had told him was true.

"Jesus I'm such a fag. Why do you even like me?" Kyle's cheeks only grew darker in color. Stan smiled and moved so he was lying beside Kyle.

"You were warm why did you move." Kyle complained, his face in a pout. Stan brushed Kyle's curly bangs off of his forehead and leaned in to leave a soft kiss.

"D-Dude." Kyle shoved his hand in Stan's face making him laugh. Stan took the hand by the wrist and pulled Kyle closer to him, so their noses were touching. Stan found it hard to keep his hands off the other, and Kyle didn't mind in the slightest.

"I want to read what you wrote about me." Stan whispered, his free hand stroking Kyle's curls. Kyle shook his head no.

"Why not?" Stan asked coyly, his hand travelling from Kyle's curls to his cheek. Kyle glared at him and shook his head no again.

"It's way too embarrassing... Some of it was just...dreams...and..."

"Oh?" Stan grinned, sitting up. He had his fair share of Kyle dreams, so knowing the other dreamed of him too interested him. "Tell me."

Kyle pulled him back to the bed and tucked in close.

"Not right now...Right now I want to sleep...Just like this."

Stan complied, knowing it could wait. He wrapped his arms around Kyle, Kyle's head tucked under his chin. He breathed out a happy sigh. There would be plenty of Friday nights where they could share embarrassing dreams. Plenty of Friday nights where they could kiss softly and touch each other without anyone else knowing. Plenty of Friday nights where they continued to share the same bed that might be a little too small for the both of them. And maybe, just maybe, it wouldn't just be Friday nights anymore that he had to look forward to.


End file.
